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William Parks was born at
Buckley, County Monaghan, Ireland on Feburary 11, 1800 and died while enroute
to Liverpool in early 1870 . In 1856 Parks built a 2 and 1/2 storey, stone
Gothic Revival house situated on four acres of land and called it "Clifden
Terrace".
Clifden Terrace is typical of most cottages built at this time. The main floor,
for example, has double parlours on the east side, opposite a library and
dining room. One interesting feature of this house is its central belvedere, a
feature of the earlier Regency style.
Clifden Terrace has some of the best examples of trompe l'oeil paintings which
have survived in Saint John today. The reason for the excellent condition is
that Clifden Terrace remained in the original Parks family until 1955.
Fortunately, when the present owners bought Clifden Terrace, they painstakingly
restored and maintained the property.
In many Saint John residences with painted decorations, the paintings are found
only on the walls of the hallways. Here, however, there are also hall ceiling
paintings. It is not known who crafted the paintings or when they were
executed.
As you enter
the main door, the most elaborate of all the paintings is found on the
ceilings. The plaster medallion for the light fixture has an illusionistic
motif in the centre resembling an elaborate plaster relief. The other
medallions in the house do not have any painted details. Around this first
medallion there is a rectangular panel with four illusionistic scrolls. The
paint colour has varying shades of purple and pink.
The rest of the ceiling paintings are also rectangular, with less
sophistication of the trompe l'oeil technique. These paintings do not surround
or complement any other architectural details on the ceilings. The floor and
ceiling trim are marbleized and are an extention of the painted walls and have
a more concentrated form of the marble pattern.
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Brunswick Community College - Saint John.